Running Pace Converter

Running pace measures how long it takes to cover a unit of distance. Speed and pace are reciprocals of each other.

Conversion relationships:

• min/km → km/h: Speed (km/h) = 60 ÷ Pace (min/km)
• min/mile → mph: Speed (mph) = 60 ÷ Pace (min/mile)
• km/h → mph: Speed (mph) = km/h × 0.621371
• min/km → min/mile: Pace (min/mile) = Pace (min/km) × 1.60934

Common pace reference points:

• Easy jog: 7:00 min/km (11:16 min/mile, 8.6 km/h, 5.3 mph)
• Comfortable run: 6:00 min/km (9:39 min/mile, 10 km/h, 6.2 mph)
• Moderate effort: 5:00 min/km (8:03 min/mile, 12 km/h, 7.5 mph)
• 5K race effort: 4:00 min/km (6:26 min/mile, 15 km/h, 9.3 mph)
• Sub-4 hour marathon: 5:41 min/km (9:09 min/mile)
• Sub-3 hour marathon: 4:16 min/km (6:52 min/mile)
• World record marathon pace (Kelvin Kiptum, 2023): 2:50 min/km (4:34 min/mile)

Why pace matters for training: Most running coaches prescribe workouts by pace rather than by heart rate or effort level because pace is objective and easy to measure with a GPS watch or phone app.

Pace zones for training:

• Recovery / Easy: 7:00–9:00 min/km, used after hard workouts to promote recovery
• Aerobic base: 5:30–7:00 min/km, the zone where most long runs should happen
• Threshold / Tempo: 4:30–5:30 min/km, comfortably hard, sustainable for 20–40 minutes
• VO2 max intervals: 3:45–4:30 min/km, hard effort sustained for 3–8 minutes at a time
• Sprint: under 3:00 min/km, maximum effort, usually 100–400 m repeats

Pace for different race distances: To estimate your finish time for a target pace, multiply the pace (in seconds per km) by the distance in km. A 5:00 min/km pace over a 10K = 50 minutes finish time. A 5:00 min/km pace over a half marathon (21.0975 km) = 1 hour 45 minutes 29 seconds.

Training paces from race results: If you have a recent race time, many coaches recommend running easy runs at 60–90 seconds per km slower than your 5K pace. If your 5K pace is 4:30 min/km, your easy run pace should be 5:30–6:00 min/km.